Between now and Opening Day, HardballTalk will take a look at each of baseball’s 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2014 season. Next up: The San Diego Padres The Big Question: Can the Padres stay healthy enough to surprise? The last two years with…

Interesting news out of Dodgers camp, as 17-year-old Julio Urias is starting this afternoon’s Cactus League game against the Padres. Just to put things into perspective, he was born in August of 1996, less than two months after Tommy Lasorda managed his final game in Dodger Blue. Feeling old yet? Urias, a native of Mexico,…

It was originally thought that Padres outfielder Cameron Maybin would be lost for 2-3 months after he suffered a torn left biceps tendon while making a diving catch Sunday, but there’s a chance he could be back sooner. According to Corey Brock of MLB.com, Padres general manager Josh Byrnes said that Maybin opted against surgery…

The Padres’ sleeper status in the NL West has already taken a hit: center fielder Cameron Maybin will miss 2-3 months with a ruptured biceps tendon he suffered making a diving catch in Sunday’s game. The injury comes after Maybin was limited to 14 games last season with wrist and knee injuries. So, the Padres…

With an abundance of arms at the back end of the starting rotation, the Padres could make a deal to acquire a left-handed hitter and/or a left-handed reliever, suggests Bill Center of U-T San Diego. Center writes that Burch Smith, Robbie Erlin, or Eric Stults could be expendable. Smith and Erlin got their first taste…

Will Venable was already under team control through 2015, but Corey Brock of MLB.com reports the Padres have signed the outfielder to a two-year, $8.5 million deal that buys out his final two seasons of arbitration eligibility. Venable didn’t debut until age 25 and didn’t become a regular until age 27, so he’s old for…

Athletics 14, Tigers 4: We had this game on for a bit, got bored and decided to watch some random stuff we had recorded. When the show ended we went back to the game to see the A’s up 14-1. Allison let’s out a big “oh for f***’s sake!” and quickly turns on the “Awesom-O”…

Yankees 9, Red Sox 6: All of the fireworks. All of the intrigue. All of the A-Rod. But this game really came down to the bullpens. The Yankees’ was fresh and effective, the Red Sox’ wasn’t. Our more thorough write-up can be read here. For now the Red Sox probably need to think less about…

Diamondbacks 4, Orioles 3: Paul Goldschmidt homered to tie it in the ninth, homered to win it in the 11th. It’s perhaps too late for this, but memo to Buck Showalter: maybe don’t pitch to Paul Goldschmidt. Two walkoff wins in a row for the Dbacks. Their ninth walkoff win of the year. Yankees 14,…

Pirates 2, Cardinals 1; Pirates 6, Cardinals 0: First. Place. Pirates. And the best record in baseball. A walkoff in the opener and a beatdown in the nightcap. Six straight losses by the reeling Cardinals, who lost Yadier Molina to the DL on top of it all. And maybe — just maybe — the end…

Nationals 9, Pirates 7: This could have been an awful, awful defeat, what with the Nats bullpen once again pooping all over itself. At least I’m assuming it would have been a defeat. The game was tied entering the bottom of the ninth. Thanks to Bryce Harper‘s walkoff homer, however, we don’t know how extras…

Padres’ center fielder Will Venable has an entry for catch of the year. Maybe catch of the past couple of years. He saved the game in the bottom of the 12th inning in the wee hours this morning, robbing Juan Perez of what would have been a walkoff hit and pushed the game into the…

Cameron Maybin is out for 6-10 weeks with a torn knee ligament and in his absence the Padres have called up 23-year-old Jaff Decker from Triple-A for outfield reinforcements. Decker is a former first-round pick and was once considered a top prospect, but his stock has slipped as he’s struggled to hit for a decent…

It’s been less than a week since Cameron Maybin returned from a wrist injury that cost him 45 games, but now the Padres center fielder is facing another lengthy injury absence. Maybin hurt his right knee diving for a ball in the outfield Sunday and the Padres announced that he’s been diagnosed with a torn…

White Sox 10, Blue Jays 6: “The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.” Carl Sandburg said that about fog. “It was worse than when it rains. With the lights, it made it really really bright. It was weird.” Adam Dunn said that about fog. Which may…